Following on from my previous post, we're now preparing for our NFPB members' meeting, to take place in Sheffield on 9th March. Our speaker in the afternoon will be Ian Sinclair, whose book 'The March that Shook Blair' has just been published by Peace News. As well as thinking about that particular London demonstration, NFPB members were of course active in other parts of Britain at the time.
On 22 February 2003, on the occasion of our 90th Anniversary, NFPB met in Preston and minuted:
We have been inspired and moved by our recent shared witness for peace in Iraq. It has been disconcerting to find ourselves in the majority in our witness and we have celebrated the experience of unity with large numbers of people from a wide range of backgrounds across the UK. We have acknowledged the challenges this brings, especially where we are part of coalitions where we find it difficult to unite with all of the views expressed, or all of the actions planned and taken.
We have reminded ourselves of the spiritual source of our witness, and of the significance of upholding in prayer all those involved. We recognise the importance of our holding faith that love can make a difference, and believe that public opinion has already influenced the delay in starting hostilities, and the language being used by our leaders about the nature and length of the proposed war. We have recognised the importance of making our witness visible in our communities, coalitions, press and governments. We can make a particular contribution in upholding those who are working for peace, supporting the growing yearning for peace that we are seeing across the world; and in promoting and sharing information about peaceful alternatives as widely as possible. We believe we are called at this time to hold all people in the light and to seek to find what love can do.
